What patients are saying
Overall rating
5.00
Average wait time
5.00
Bedside manner
5.00
“Dr Kavaler-Adler is an experienced, empathic, and effective therapist. I would recommend her to anyone. ”
LDMore than 1 year ago
“I am familiar with Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler's treatment skills over the course of many years as a result of taking courses and workshops she taught and attending conferences where she presented papers illustrating her in-depth psychoanalytic work with patients. I have also read many of her books and journal articles. In my professional opinion, Dr. Kavaler-Adler is a brilliant thinker, with the ability to communicate highly complex clinical material, and a gifted psychotherapist, with the ability to help patients heal from trauma and grow into their fullest potential! She has my highest recommendation! ”
CVMore than 1 year ago
About Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler
Focus areas
Bereavement / Grief Counseling
Clientele seen
Adults (25-64)
Seniors (65+)
Individuals
Treatment approaches
Clinical Supervision and Licensed Supervisors
Experiential Therapy
Compassion Focused
Feminist
Existential
Humanistic
Identity
Gender
FemaleLanguages spoken
English
Getting to know Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler
Susan Kavaler-Adler, PhD, ABPP, D.Litt, NCPsyA, is a practicing clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst with over 40 years of experience. She supervises psychotherapists practicing psychotherapy, couples therapy, psychoanalysis, and group therapy, and serves as a consultant for those involved in personal healing through writing.
Dr. Kavaler-Adler is the Founder, Executive Director, and Senior Faculty & Training Supervisor of the Object Relations Institute for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis.
She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Adelphi University and holds an honorary doctorate in literature. She is a Fellow of the American Board and Academy of Psychoanalysis (ABPP) and a Psychoanalyst with the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NCPsyA). Additionally, she has training as a dance therapist.
Dr. Kavaler-Adler is a prolific author, having published seven books and over 70 articles. She writes on psychological issues related to clinical practice, healing, and particularly on mourning and creativity as paths to healing and psychic health. Her work addresses difficult and fundamental topics essential to psychological growth, such as fear of success, fear of envy, resolving blocks to creativity, processing grief and loss, and the opening of erotic desire and spirituality alongside the creative self. She has also written about fathers and daughters and about finding one's voice in the world and in creative work.
Dr. Kavaler-Adler is widely recognized for her extensive writing on mourning, creativity, fear of success, fear of intimacy, and the demon lover theme that affects many lives. Her over 70 articles include titles such as “Phantom of the Opera,” “My Graduation Is My Mother's Funeral,” “Seduction, Date Rape, and Aborted Surrender,” “Love Addiction,” “Jealousy,” “Surrender Versus Submission,” and “Neurotic Guilt versus Existential Guilt as Grief.”
What should a new client know about working with you?
**For patients with OON insurance Dr. Kavaler-Adler requires upfront payment and offers insurance codes on invoices for reimbursement.
Patients can expect that I will listen deeply to all their concerns, fears, needs, desires, and conflicts. I will also be interested in dreams, fantasies, and hopes for the future that relate to unconscious fears and longings.
I will be very open to hearing about losses and separations in their lives, which they may need to face and understand in order to move on with their lives. I am with people in a way that can help them experience how much fruitful psychological work can emerge when they are not left alone with their feelings, as was often the case in childhood. Psychotherapy is a place to face one's deepest anxieites about one's anger, emotional needs, and one's loneliness.
What is your typical process for working with clients?
By intent listening, and offering immediate feedback, I help patients to tune into deeper levels of internal experience. As the process unfolds, conflicts, losses, separations, traumas, unconscious dream and fantasy material are all engaged with. Since I am a dancer (Argentine Tango) and prolific published writer, I am able to tune into both nonverbal and verbal communications in my patients. Also, as a psychologist trained in Dance Therapy. as well as traditional psychotherapy, I can help patients be fully in the moment with the meaning of their body communications and symptoms, as well as with conscious thoughts and feelings, and with
unconscious dreams and fantasies.
Out-of-pocket fees and assistance
Initial session: $290 for 45 minutes
Ongoing session: $210-350 for 45 minutes
- Sliding scale: Offers lower out-of-pocket fees on an individual basis, typically based on your ability to pay
More information on payments and coverage
Those with Out-of-Network insurance will receive the insurance codes on their monthly invoices. After paying their monthly invoice, they are welcome to send the invoice, with insurance codes, to their insurance companies, to get reimbursement. s Others pay out of pocker, and individual situations are taken into account for the setting of ongoing psychotherapy fees.
Education and background
Practice names
Board certifications
- American Board of Professional Psychology
Education and training
- Adelphi University, PhD in Clinical Psychology
Professional memberships
- Postgraduate Psychoanalytic Society & Institute
- Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology
- National Institute for the Psychotherapies
- International Federation of Psychoanalytic Education
- National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis
Awards and publications
- The Compulsion to Create: Women Writers and Their Demon Lovers
- The Creative Mystique: From Red Shoes Frenzy to Love and Creativity
- Mourning, Spirituality and Psychic Change
NPI number
1457425324
Patient reviews
All reviews have been submitted by patients after interacting with the practice.
Overall rating
5.00
Wait time
5.00
Bedside manner
5.00
Your trust is our top concern, so providers can't pay to alter or remove reviews. We also don't publish reviews that contain any private patient health information. Learn more here
11 reviews
Most relevant
Dr Kavaler-Adler is an experienced, empathic, and effective therapist. I would recommend her to anyone.
More than 1 year agoLD
I gained enormous insight, feel and act much more spontaneous and with more joy and appreciation.
More than 1 year agoSS
Dr. Kavaler-Adler is perceptive, insightful and made me feel immediately and deeply understood.
More than 1 year agoJC
Provider was excellent, efficient, extremely knowledgable , experienced and helpful!
More than 1 year agoEK
Professional, knowledgeable, very intuitive, and present. A master clinician.
More than 1 year agoJH
I am familiar with Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler's treatment skills over the course of many years as a result of taking courses and workshops she taught and attending conferences where she presented papers illustrating her in-depth psychoanalytic work with patients. I have also read many of her books and journal articles. In my professional opinion, Dr. Kavaler-Adler is a brilliant thinker, with the ability to communicate highly complex clinical material, and a gifted psychotherapist, with the ability to help patients heal from trauma and grow into their fullest potential! She has my highest recommendation!
More than 1 year agoCV
I have been receiving training and supervision in Object Relations Theory from Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler for over a year. Dr. Kavaler-Adler is an excellent supervisor and as a result of her training, I have advanced my knowledge and expertise in Object Relations.
More than 1 year agoLG
Over the course of many years I've seenDr. Kavaler-Adler in both private and group sessions. She is uniquely gifted and deeply committed to understanding and supporting individuals who are artistically inclined. As a creative person herself she accepts creativity as a fundamental expression of wholeness, never sidelining those ambitions and impulses in her clients. Her capacity to navigate and contain difficult emotions is exceptional and unconditional.
More than 1 year agoDB
Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler is a Psychologist/Psychoanalyst. She is a great psychotherapist who is exquisitely attuned to the patient’s inner world and deep seated unresolved issues. My treatment (in a group) with her was very helpful, gave me significant insights, helped me connect my body with my mind, to identify and process my feelings and to emotionally grow.
More than 1 year agoJV
Less than 1 year agoInitials hiddenVideo visit
More than 1 year agoInitials hiddenVideo visit
How soon can I make an appointment with Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler?
Generally, Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler has appointments available on Zocdoc within 1 week. You can see Dr. Kavaler-Adler's earliest availability on Zocdoc and make an appointment online.
Is Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler accepting new patients?
Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler generally accepts new patients on Zocdoc. You can see Dr. Kavaler-Adler's earliest availability on Zocdoc and schedule an appointment online.
Does Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler accept my insurance?
Choose your insurance plan to verify if Dr. Kavaler-Adler is in-network.
Can I make an appointment with Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler online?
Yes, you can make an appointment online with Dr. Kavaler-Adler using Zocdoc. It’s simple, secure, and free.
What practice does Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler work with?
Which board certifications does Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler have?
Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler is certified by American Board of Professional Psychology.
What are common reasons for patients to see Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler?
Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler frequently sees patients for Anxiety, Depression, Psychotherapy, Psychotherapy Intake / Initial Visit, and Therapy. You can see other visit reasons for Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler on their profile.
What languages does Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler speak?
Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler speaks English.
How do patients rate Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler in reviews?
11 patients have reviewed Dr. Susan Kavaler-Adler. The overall rating for this doctor is 5/5. They have a 5/5 rating for bedside manner and a 5/5 rating for wait time. You can read individual reviews and ratings on their profile.